Shorter shafts

kalle t

I've played miz MP -line for a while and am now thinking of switching to Titleist AP2.

I'm 5"8 and choke down every club hugely even when playing miz's 1/4 inch shorter clubs, and therefore been thinking of taking 1/2 inch off the AP2's standard length, and flatten the lie with one degree. The shaft would be KBS Tour Stiff.

Now, how would the 0,5 inch shorter length affect the swing weight? And can it be corrected?

And would hard stepping the shafts basically do the exact same thing as cutting 1/2 inch from standard length?

5 Replies

David Browning

December 2, 2013 at 7:23am

Kalle,

1/2" shorter would mess with the swing weight.

If you got raw shafts, and hard stepped, you'd still have to cut the butt of the shaft to length. However, say you have an extra set of Titleist lying around, and you pull the shafts out of those, then hard step. You should be 1/2" shorter. However, your ball flight and the way the ball spins, etc., would more than likely change. Just remember that if you, or if you have some one else, other than Titleist work on your clubs, it'll void the irons/clubs, warranty.

I suggest getting a hold of your local Titleist PGA rep to schedule a fitting. He/she, will be able to tell you what you need to do, if anything, to your clubs.

kalle t

December 13, 2013 at 5:48am

David, thanks for the help. It seems to be extremely hard trying to come up with a shorter set that wouldn't mess up the way ball behaves and the clubs feel. Still, even though I choke down approx 1,25 inch of my Miz clubs, I am a quite long hitter (6i around 165-170 yards). Therefore I would really really want to find a set of clubs made much shorter than what the industry standards are.

tdogg21

December 13, 2013 at 10:36am

First, I would go get fit and find out exactly what length and lie options work for you. Once you have that information, you evaluate what you want to do better. It is my understanding that shorting a club 1/2" won't make a noticeable difference with the swing weight. But I also believe Titleist will adjust the the swing weight to what you want. I don't know where you live, but I would try to find a fitter that has a lot of different options (like a Titleist Advanced or Regional fitting center). That way you might be able to actually test a club exactly how you want it. I have found Titleist will do everything in it's power to build you a club that fits you and performs for you.

David Browning

December 13, 2013 at 8:02pm

kalle t

December 13, 2013 at 5:48am

David, thanks for the help. It seems to be extremely hard trying to come up with a shorter set that wouldn't mess up the way ball behaves and the clubs feel. Still, even though I choke down approx 1,25 inch of my Miz clubs, I am a quite long hitter (6i around 165-170 yards). Therefore I would really really want to find a set of clubs made much shorter than what the industry standards are.

You're welcome.

The swing weight change may not be noticeable for some people, on the other side, some people WILL notice it. It is important to get fitted so you and your fitter can find the right swing weight just for you. Even if it's the smallest adjustment, it WILL make a difference.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask away.

Cathi, Titleist Club Concierge

December 17, 2013 at 11:07am

kalle t

December 13, 2013 at 5:48am

David, thanks for the help. It seems to be extremely hard trying to come up with a shorter set that wouldn't mess up the way ball behaves and the clubs feel. Still, even though I choke down approx 1,25 inch of my Miz clubs, I am a quite long hitter (6i around 165-170 yards). Therefore I would really really want to find a set of clubs made much shorter than what the industry standards are.

Hi Kalle, 1/2" shorter with no other changes to the club would subtract 2-3 swingweights. We can adjust swingweight to a certain extent, but the KBS shafts build at a lighter swingweight to start with, so you may be used to a lighter swingweight. You don't say where you are located, but we would recommend seeing a good fitter in your area to see whether choking down a bit and/or cutting it would be more beneficial for you (or maybe a little of both). There are players that choke down on their irons because they prefer the feel of the longer club and others that prefer to have it cut down and work with the slightly lighter swingweight. Either way, you are going to want to specify a swingweight when you place your order and that is another topic to discuss with your fitter.